It is abundantly clear that the Climate Crisis is real, the ‘debate’ is long since over, and the time for action is slipping by.
As a growing business in a beautiful corner of the world, we not only feel a genuine connection to nature but realise and accept there are responsibilities which inevitably come with this.
We can and must do what we can to mitigate our environmental impact, not just for our island but for all of us who value the planet. It will not be easy, and we may often fall short. But, we will always try, adapting as we learn and explore new initiatives over the coming years.
Our Refill Project is the first step as we began to experiment with greener ideas, and last year we started our journey with the creation of a new aluminium bottle for our gin.
We created the bottle to address a growing demand from our customers to allow them to keep their treasured glass Isle of Harris Gin bottle instead of throwing it out.
Although every material on the original, from stopper to label, is fully recyclable, the beauty of the design seems to make it difficult for people to part with.
So, we began exploring the potential of new refill solutions and experimenting with aluminium as a high-quality material with exceptional recyclability, lightness, and excellent carbon footprint figures.
At a smaller 500ml size, the new refill bottle is designed to top up your glass Isle of Harris Gin bottle before it is empty, so you never run out of your favourite island spirit again.
A year ago, we trialled the refill bottle through a 12-month subscription service, and we’ve been delighted by the response from the wonderfully committed customers who joined us in this way.
Today, almost a full year on, we’re ready to take the next step as we release the aluminium refill bottles for sale individually through our online store priced at £29.50.
The small, lightweight bottle is also great for taking on outdoor adventures, cycle tours, beach trips, summer picnics, and more. Ideal if you want to leave your glass bottle back safely in your home bar.
When empty, pop your used aluminium bottle into the correct bin to ensure it re-enters the recycling loop and can be used again. This last point is paramount. Aluminium is only a truly successful and sustainable material when it is returned to a recycling centre for reuse.
Next month we begin to build on our plans for the future as we undertake a series of projects behind the scenes to audit and understand what we should be doing better as a greener, but green-washing free, business.
More on that soon, but meantime we continue to eliminate single-use plastics from our products and on-site operations and will be heading out soon on two big summer beach cleans in our local community.
If you’d like to learn more about our ongoing refill story, please head to the dedicated page on our website, or go straight to the online shop if you think now is a good time to top up!